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15 Jul 08

Several outstanding colleges offer classes online to high school students. Even middle-schoolers can take advantage of them. According to the Wall Street Journal, the pre-college student category has become one of the fastest growing segments of the distance-learning market.
Students taking classes at Purdue North Central in psychology, for instance, may receive dual credit; one credit for high school and three credits from Purdue.
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- Online learning is also working its way down to the middle schools.
- Parents take note: Many colleges use online classes as a recruiting tool. They help identify potential candidates for admission to their regular degree programs. This gives online scholars an edge when they apply. Listing these classes in the personal statement impresses admissions officers who are constantly looking for innovative applicants. It shows you are ahead of the curve of other applicants and might just be the item that tips the admissions committee in your favor.

John Bourne, director of the Sloan Consortium, an organization in Wellesley that studies online education, said he expects gas prices to bring about "a blended classroom -- half online, half in class."
"Retention in online classes is lower," school spokeswoman Kimberly Haschke said, pointing out that students who do not make the drive to campus may abandon their studies before the class term is over. "I kind of worry about that."
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- Karen Stevens, an early childhood education professor at the University of Massachusetts, said increased demand for online classes is forcing instructors to overcome doubts about the system.
  "They weren't sure it was good education," she said. "If they had their preference, they would teach live. But because of gas prices, that's not practical."